Ear tag



ec. 25,1 23. 1,47%05 W. J. FRETZ EAR TAG Filed Aug. 16, 1923 Fig 5 lull-mill INVENTOR TVarren f Fkefz,

"Mywam ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 25, 1923.

WARREN J. FEE'I'Z, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

EAR TAG.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VARREN J. FRETZ, a citizen of the United States, residin at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and tate of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ear Tags, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to ear tags which are particularly adapted to be used in marking cattle with certain identification and which are inserted through the animals ear in a particular manner with one operation so that the tag will be held firmly in place where it can bereadily inspected.

The invention includes a particularly designed tag, which, owing to its peculiar shape, accomplishes the desired results in fastening and permanently securing the tag in place. It is very desirable to provide a tag which is so made that it will remain firml positioned within the ear after it has been placed, without binding at the point ofpiercing the ear and yet not free to move around orback and forth so that it will be firmly held in position after the ear is healed at the point where the tag extends through the ear. The particular shapeoi my tag is of marked importance and for the reason that it permits the animals ear to swell where it has been pierced Without causing the same to slough away so that the tag would beloose when the ear had healed up. Many tags are not practical because of the sloughing of the ear caused by the construction of the same and therefore they readily become entirely disengaged from the ear. For this reason many cattle can be observed where a portion of the ear is torn away due to the improper connection of the tag with the ear.

My invention is a part of andis a division of my United States application number 648,492, filed June :29, 1923, wherein an applying device is illustrated which features with the particular shape of my tag to permit the same to be attached to the car by a single operation with one hand as fully disclosed in my hcreinbefore mentioned application.

In the drawings specification Figure 1 is a perspective view of my tag in closed position, not attached.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the tag in open position.

Figure 3 is a section of a portion of an forming part of this animals ear illustrating my tag attached thereto.

Figure at is a view of one side of my tag.

Figure 5 is a view of the other side of the tag.

The drawings illustrate the tag A made of flat wire tag metal which is cut in suitable lengths for each tag.

The body of the tag is formed with a straight flat side 10 which is connected to the other side 11 of the body portion by the curved end 12 so that the portion 11 extends at an angle from the part 10.

The portion 10 carries the closing and sealing portion of the tag B at the opposite end to the curved portion 12 which is formed with a curved portion 13 from which extends the straight portion 14 and projecting from the portion 13 is the sealing end 15. Interposed between the portions 14 and 15 is formed a recess or cut 16 which is stamped into the member A when it is being formed so as to form a weakened portion along the cut 16 to permit the seal ing end 15 to bend into closing position when the tag A is attached to the animals ear C. I

The tag A is formed with a score line 18 extending across the width of the tag at the adjoining point of the curved portion 12 and interposed between the parts 10 and 11 of the tag. This score or recess may be similar to the recess 16 so as. to form a weakened portion in the tag to permit the same to bend into' the desired shape when the tag is attached to the ear C.

The tag A is formed from a single piece of flat ear metal wire which has the proper consistency so as to be formed in the desired shape. The flat wire used in making my tag is stamped on its outer sides with the desired data and is formed into the shape illustrated in Figure '2, after the material has been scored or cut at 16 between the portions let and 15 and at 18 between the portion 12 and the portion 10. The tag A,

in this form, is ready to be inserted into my tag mentioned by a single operation.

When the tag A is-ap'plied to the ear C, the applying device pierces the ear to form an opening 17through which the end B of the tag A readily passes and the portions 11 and 14 are brought into the position illustrated in Figure 3 with the sealing end 15 into engagement with the free end of the portion 11, the tag bending at a pronounced end 15 will extend in line with and in engagement with the free end 19 of the tag A. When the tag A is positioned as illustrated in Figure 3, the curved end 12 extends around the edge of the ear C, with the sides 10 and 11 in close relation to the sides of the ear at the point of connection with the portion 12, the curved portion 12 extending at an angle from the cut or score line 18 from the portion 10 so that the tag A is formed to the shape of the thin outer edge of the ear with the outer portion 10 extending flat against the outer face of the ear C. The curved portion 13 extends through the opening'l? formed in the ear, while the portion 14 is positioned to extend at an 7' angle from the curved portion 18 and the sides 10 and 11 to form the open or engaged space 21 at this end of the tag A between the sides 10 and 11 as illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawing. The space 21 provided,

together with the peculiar angular extension of the portion 141; permits the tag A to be attached in a manner so tha-tthe swelling of the ear at the cut or piercing 17 is accommodated without so called sloughing of the ear by reason of the swelling where the ear is pierced and when the tag is of a formation so that the sides of the same extend parallel and in close proximity to the sides of the ear. Many other tags have been used where the sides of the same lie flat and close against the sides of the ear.

Invariably, these tags will slough in the ear, which is natural because of the tag having no open space to permit the ear to swell. In such a tag, the swelling causes a pressure or sloughing on the opening pierced in the ear and has a tendency to push the tag out which engages the opening pierced in the ear so that, when the ear heals, the opening has enlarged to such an extent that the tag will hang free in the ear and, as soon as it gets caught on anything, will be readily torn outmore and more so that eventually the tag will tear right out of the ear.

My tag A forms a shape with the side 10 extending straight and flat so that it will lie against the fiat outer surface of the ear as illustrated at the open space 21 and accommodate a considerable swelling of the ear without causing the tag to pull on the opening 17 pierced in the ear, while the annular position of the sides 10 and 11 caused by the scoring of the tag A along the line '18 positions the outer curved end 12 close against the edge of the ear so that it is of the same approximate shape as the outer thin edge of the animals ear and fits closely so that approximately no space is permitted between the edge of the ear and the tag and this prevents the ear from getting caught on anything which would have a tendency to pull the tag out of place. The flat side 10 is of a desirable formation when the tag is in place. The tag A does not act to pierce the ear but is placed in position between the applying device described in my hereinbefore mentioned application, which cuts a sharp clean opening within the ear without tearing and therefore theirritation on the ear is much less than where the tag itself is used to pierce the ear. These features are of im portance in my invention.

A feature of the invention which is of primary importance is the sealing of my tag to prevent it from being tampered with or removed without destroying the same. This is accomplished by the score or out lines 16 and 18 in the tag A which weaken the tag at these points so that the tag can not be removed without breaking the same and thus my tag is self sealing by a very simple and effective means. This construction provides an inexpensive tag which is self sealing and can practically not be removed without destroying the same so that it is readily apparent that the particular construction and formation of my tag is of primary importance in my invention.

In accordance with the patentstatutes, I have described and illustrated in the drawing a particular formation of atag which illustrates one form of the invention but I desire to have it understood that the draw ings are only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to other uses than those set forth within the scope of the following claims.

I claim: i

1. A cattle tag including a body portion formed of flat wire, a portion of the body of said tag extending in a straight line to lie flat on the animals ear with over lapping end members adapted to seal said tag and weakened portions formed in said tag to position said overlapping end members in an angular relation to said flat portion to form an enlarged portion for the swelling of the'ear and to prevent the removing of the tag without destroying the same.

2. An animal marking tag including a body portion formed of flat wire, end members bent to form an enlarged portion on one end and a curved portion conforming with the edge of an animals ear on the members and at the portion adapted to conform with the edge of the animals ear to cause said tag to break if it is bent to remove it from sealing position on the animals ear.

4. A marking tag formed of strip material, transverse score lines extending across said material between the ends thereof to permit said tag to be bent into closed position with one end to conform with the edge of an animals ear and the other end With an enlarged portion adjacent the portion of said tag extending through the ear and to prevent removal of the tag Without breaking the same.

WARREN J. FRETZ. 

